The aphorism, ‘Give honour to whom honour is due’ found affirmation at the Air Force Secondary School (AFSS), NAF Base, Sasha, Lagos, when the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) named a newly built 500-capacity assembly hall after the late Rev. Sr. Henrietta Alokha.
She was the Administrator of Bethlehem Girls’ College, Abule Ado, Lagos, who lost her life on March 15, this year, as she struggled to save her students trapped under the collapsed school buildings after a gas explosion.
The late Rev. Sister must be smiling down at the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar’s announcement of the honour done her memory. In a rare twist of fate, the famed Ides of March tragedy will not obliterate her memory.
It is equally instructive that the building after which she is named is in a school. It is a beautiful monument that would stand as a testimony to thousands of students that would pass through the school in decades to come.
We commend the Nigerian Air Force for the decision to name the hall after a most deserving human whose altruism and service were unto death.
In a world that is seemingly bereft of servant-leaders and empathetic citizenry, Sr. Henrietta stands as a shining example of a true Christian who, in following Jesus’ example, was ready to lay down her life for her students.
It is remarkable that none of her students died. She played the good shepherd who does everything to seek out a lost or endangered sheep.
The honour bestowed on the Sister is an eloquent affirmation that goodness must have its rewards. To think that she was neither a politician, business woman or athlete, but earned the honour through the ultimate sacrifice should stand as a huge lesson for everyone.
Goodness has its rewards. She is dead but lives; she bought immortality with service. She lived true to her Christianity in a world so full of religious charlatans.
The NAF must also be applauded for deviating from the norm, naming monuments after people that really do not merit such honours. Monuments in the real sense are statues or other structures erected to commemorate notable persons or events.
We equally note that there are many monuments named after individuals whose lives were not worthy of emulation. This must stop as the coming generations must be guided to make better choices to selflessly serve humanity in any way possible.
The Rev. Sister has written her name in gold in the hearts of her students and many other Nigerians. And NAF, by that singular act, is investing in the future of both students and their formation, being that they too by the nature of their job are often faced with near-death situations.
In a country that often neglects teachers and other ancillary staff, this act would go a long way in reassuring those in the education sector that their sacrifices are appreciated even when it does not necessarily mean that they must sacrifice their lives to be appreciated.
Sr. Henrietta did not want to commit suicide, but in trying to do her best for her students, she lost her life. Her story must be an eternal lesson about what it means to serve and care.
This singular choice by the NAF is so emotionally gratifying and would for long stand as a metaphor of what monuments ought to represent.
They are meant for the best amongst us and not as a reward for wealth or dubiously acquired fame and fortune. In an era of so much chaos in the world, especially from religious bigots across creeds, Rev. Sr. Henrietta Ebosiogwe Alokha stands as a shining star worthy of emulation.
Her life again validates the cliché that life is not about how long but how well. She chose to live and die well, and today has earned immortality. May she find peace.
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